Quick Bites: popchips

Welcome to my "Quick Bites" post, a review of one of my many snack obsessions.... this Average Girl can eat every hour! I had my first unofficial Quick Bites post last year when I shared my love of the healthy-ish chocolately perfection that is Fiber One chocolate granola bars. Since then, Fiber One has expanded its granola bar line to include other tasty options, including peanut butter. Mmmm. Now if they'd only combine the chocolate and pb! An average girl can dream...

So, here's my latest Quick Bite: popchips! Have you tried these yet?! They're so fab. An all-natural snack fix, these puppies aren't fried or baked, they're literally popped. The company says, "we start with wholesome potatoes, add a little heat and pressure, along with a little snack magic (TAGG note: who doesn't love a little snack magic!). And pop! It's a chip." Love that you get about 20 chips for 120 calories and just a couple grams of fat (none saturated).

Anyway, however they make these, they're awesome Love the BBQ and sea salt and vinegar flavors. Cheddar is just average, and I'm eager to try the parmesan and garlic, but haven't seen it yet at my local Target or Whole Food stores. Mmmm. Happy eating.

www.popchips.com

Savvy Shopping: Average Girl Style

We're in a recession people! While it may have been chic to show your findings from a spending spree in years past, now it's all about bragging about a great bargain. Check out some of my favorite ways to save while still looking stylish.

Loehmann's: Man, I love this store! In my opinion it's like T.J. Maxx or Marshalls but better (though TJ's is a close second). Best to avoid shopping on the weekends when intense shoppers who throw elbows are in full force, but go in on a week day or night to take your time to browse the racks. I've scored a $450 Nanette Lepore dress for under $60, silver Ray Ban aviators for $30, and more recently a really cute, bright-blue Juicy Couture bathing suit for just $25 (regularly $120+). Just saw the exact same bottoms on sale at Bloomies for $57 (see pic); score! At Loehmy's, always check out The Back Room for the best designer fashions at discount prices, and don't miss the children's and men's sections. They're typically small but have good finds. Bought my girl five pairs of Splendid leggings at an embarrassingly inexpensive $5 each!

Shop it to me: This site refers to itself as "your personal shopper," and they don't disappoint! Register, tell the site your go-to brands and stores, and then get ready to receive emails with sales of your favorite... everything! It's kind of dangerous! Takes the hassle out of going to a million web sites to look for sales or Googleing the item you're looking for. Everything from Tory Burch to Old Navy, Saks to the Gap, DVF,Michael Kors, NineWest, whatever your heart -- and stylish bod -- desires.

Gilt.com, RueLaLa.com, etc: We can't all live in NYC with enviable fashion, gorgeous window displays and sample sales seemingly around ever corner, but at least we have fab web sites like these that offer them right at our finger tips. Register at these sites and others (mom alert: check out zulily.com). Be aware that the merch is pretty limited. If you want something, be at your computer the second the sale starts, or beware... the competition is fierce.

TAGG tip

Shop the day BEFORE a sale (if you have time to go back the next day): Especially with stores that have limited merchandise, this can make a big difference. Not only are stores less crowded, but there's a much better chance you'll find your size. I get emails from about a half dozen or so of my favorite shops so I'm always in the know about a big sale. Find what you want, try it on and put it on hold. The next day, just make a pit stop at the store to make a quick purchase. This also gives you the opportunity to review potential purchases one last time. Just ask yourself... Do I reeeaaalllyyy need it?

Look for more of my tips in a future post; can't give it all away at once! What are your favorite ways to save on the latest fashions and wardrobe staples?

Cool Summer Looks for Hot Prices

With summer almost half-way over (tear!), who wants to invest in pricey accessories that soon will be pushed to the back of the closet in favor of boots, scarves and other Fall must-haves?

Thanks to InStyle magazine, check out more than 20 drool-worthy accessories UNDER $50 each that will help you beat the heat... or at least look good while you're sweating to death: click here to check them out. Here's just a few of my favorites that are so neutral they'd pair perfectly with a cotton tee and cut-off shorts or khaki capris, or your go-to summer dress.

Aldo cuff, on sale for $11.98 each

Cynthia Vincent for Target wedges, $30

Steve Madden Boat Shoes, $50

Spiegel Beach Bag, $34

Mmm? Rita's Ice

So before I tell you my thoughts on Rita's, I have to admit I'm already partial to it for a very, very sound reason: My gram's name is Rita! (Told you I had a good reason).

Rita's is a fast-expanding water ice and custard shop with more than 550 locations in 18 states. While I've had it once before (two very fab friends dropped off a few cartons when our daughter was born), I took the opportunity to taste it again this weekend when a new location at CityPlace in West Palm Beach, Fla. was offering free cups. Cha-ching! My hubs and I sampled four flavors, though the shop offers daily about 20 of its more than 40 options. While the creamy smores flavor was too sweet -- we hear it's usually better --- the mint chocolate chip was dee-lish, and complete with mini chips. Alex's Lemonade was perfectly tart, while the Sweedish fish flavor (which comes with Sweedish fish!) tastes just like those gummy treats. Your Average Girl also took a spoonful of her friend's custard concoction (for blog research, right?), which adds a rich creaminess to the light ice.

TAG says this is a perfect treat for a warm summer's day, and more affordable than many ice cream and sweets shops. Just don't get fooled into thinking this cool treat is a guilt-free option; while the water and cream ices have either no or little fat, the calories add up with all that sugar. Be sure to sample some of the shop's sugar free ices and fat free custard. http://www.ritasice.com/

What's your favorite Rita's treat?

I'm back!

When you think hiatus, I doubt you think almost a year and a half, but I'm back... with some damn good excuses, err I mean reasons. First, there was pregnancy and then of course a newborn, and a full-time job. And, if I wasn't busy and sleep deprived enough, life threw at me an extra curveball... right on my 30th birthday. A few months ago, this average girl got diagnosed with a one in a million disease: transverse myelitis. Transverse-what? I know, I feel the same! Long story short, severe lesions quickly developed along my entire spinal cord (worst 10 percent my neurologist has seen; awesome) that caused me to become temporarily paralyzed; get burning and pins and needle sensations on my legs; lose my ability to pee; write my name; you name it. Just 34,000 or so people in the world have this.... lucky me. I'm doing a heck of a lot better but still dealing with some not to average things. Won't bore you with those details except to say that I'm now also sans a full-time job, so besides some PT and doctor appointments, I have plenty of time to devote to this blog... and love, love, love the idea of just being average again!

So stay tuned, add The Average Girl's Guide to your RSS feed, your Google reader, your fav places, whatever it is that you do to find me on a regular basis, and I'll do my best to fill you in on being a pretty fab average girl... and mom, too. My amazing little chickie, Sarah Hayden, now eight months, has opened my eyes to an entirely new world of baby clothes, toys, you name it!